Sir, - Greece's attempts, at the recent EU summit in Dublin, to hoist its disagreements with Turkey to the top of the European agenda need to be seen in perspective. When Greece applied to join the European Union in 1975, Turkey put no obstacles in its way. One or two voices in the rest of Europe, however, were raised to warn that Europe should not allow itself to become embroiled in Greece's differences with Turkey.
That is the background which Irish readers should bear in mind when studying remarks by Mr Theodoros Pangalos, Greek Foreign Minister, to The Irish Times. Greece's new security architecture for Europe amounts to a thinly disguised aspiration to turn the European Union into an unholy alliance against Turkey.
Turkey has said, many times, that it has no offensive intentions towards the Greeks. It has never in modern times engaged in any offensive actions towards them. it tends to be forgotten that, by contrast, Greece has invaded Turkey not just once but twice this century, with the explicit aim of taking territory from it.
Mr Pangalos is wrong when he says Turkey challenges the sovereignty of any number of islands or islets in the Aegean. It does not. Why should it? The disagreement is solely over the Kardak rocks, inhabited only by goats and very close indeed to the Turkish shore line. Until various Greek citizens planted their flag upon them a year ago, the rocks were only notable as a hazard for shipping.
Greece consistently encouraged the Serbs in their invasion of Bosnia and is at loggerheads with two of its other neighbours, Albania and Macedonia, apart from Turkey: it can hardly claim to be a force for either peace or security. The Europe which Mr Pangalos wants to see would be one which moves in a distinctly odd and dangerous direction. - Yours, etc.,
Ambassador,
Turkish Embassy,
Dublin.